Meet MVP Jerry McMeekin

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh–in partnership with FISA Foundation and the Heinz Endowments–has been pleased to offer Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), a leadership training program for men committed to integrating domestic and sexual violence prevention strategies into their organizations’ work. This post is one in a series of short articles intended to showcase members of the MVP Men’s Leadership Cohort and the work they are doing in their communities.

Jerry McMeekin knows that men need to be proactive about violence prevention. Through his work as an educator at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), Jerry meets with men of all ages to deliver this message. Jerry’s involvement in the Coaching Boys Into Men program enables athletic coaches to talk to their high school and college teams about this issue. He believes it takes integrity and leadership to embrace the change that needs to happen in our culture. Especially influential, he’s noticed, are the coaches who incorporate the importance of character into their coaching.

“It’s encouraging to see that this issue is truly engaging more men,” says Jerry. “Getting male community leaders, advocates and educators talking about this is a huge step.”

The next step, he says, is continuing his work until the “locker room culture” that permeates youth sports is broken down to make way for healthier values both on and off the playing field.

Photography by Brian Cohen